Mississippi College Welcomes Grapevine Baptist Church Summer Campers

Big-time fans of the Dallas Mavericks, teen-agers and their parents from Grapevine Baptist Church enjoyed their first visit to Mississippi College for summer camp.

The 53-member group from Texas cheers for Mavs stars like Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry, with the trio leading the way to their first NBA championship triumph in early June. But more importantly, the students and chaperones from the church are on fire for Jesus Christ.

Combining quiet Bible study with lively worship and a slew of sports activities, the week of Centrifuge camp on the Clinton campus was a blast for the Texans, whose church is located three miles from the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

For 14-year-old Caitlyn Meyers, the camp at Baptist-affiliated Mississippi College helped her fulfill a pledge to her late grandmother.

Her grandmother, she said, “was a really devoted follower of Christ. When she recently passed away, I made a promise that I was going to start following Christ with my whole heart.”

And the Centrifuge experience amid sweltering summer heat at Mississippi College “helped me start to keep that promise,” Meyers said.

The visitors from Grapevine, Texas were among 5,000 campers expected at Mississippi College through late July. They travel to the Christian university in Central Mississippi from 14 Southern states. For nearly a decade, more than 76,000 campers have spent time at MC to build their faith, boost their athletic skills and make new friends. Over the years, some of the summer campers returned as Mississippi College students.

Grapevine Baptist Church Senior Pastor Mike Mowery said he was impressed with the camp and the way members of the church’s Youth Ministry responded to their new learning experience hundreds of miles from home.

“I am proud of this group because they love the Lord, love each other and they represent the church and the Lord Jesus in a positive way, no matter what the circumstances,”  Mowery said.

Beginning on June 13, the day after the Mavs defeated the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, the Centrifuge camp “stirred up their devotion to live for Christ all the time,” the minister added.

Mowery and other parents from the Lone Star State had little time to rest on the Clinton campus.  They kept up with activities from the sounds of a band performing contemporary Christian music on stage at Swor Auditorium to meals at the Mississippi College cafeteria or interesting evenings spent at college residence halls.  For the senior pastor, who’s a Baylor University graduate, the MC camp was extra special. It marked the final youth camp for his daughter, Shelby.

Major Speights, 70, the church’s senior adults pastor didn’t make the eight-hour bus trip to Mississippi. But before the group left Grapevine, he told them he was delighted they’re visiting Mississippi College, his alma mater.

“I hope some of them will consider going to college there,” Speights said. “It would be a great place to prepare for a vocational ministry and receive a first-rate Christian education,” said the former longtime pastor at First Baptist Church in LaPlace, Louisiana.

The camp at Mississippi College is one of many Centrifuge camps across the nation run by Nashville-based LifeWay, part of the Southern Baptist Convention. Other summer camps include those at Union University in Jackson, Tenn., the University of Mobile in Alabama, Southwest Baptist University in Missouri and North Greenville University in North Carolina.

For more than 30 years, over a million people have participated in the FUGE experience all over the USA.

For more information on summer camps at Mississippi College, contact Ken Gilliam, director of the Office of Continuing Education, at 601.925.3264 or gilliam@mc.edu.